It's Between Two Hearts
by Soul of a Wolf
Summary: Ash is ready to tell Misty how he feels, but is someone going to unknowingly keep him from doing so? Misty's love has two targets now, but number two isn't what Ash expected.... *FINISHED* Chapter 8 uploaded....the tale is now complete!
1. I Love.....who?

A/N: Ok, this is going to be a confusing story, so all you thinkers out there, have at

A/N: Ok, this is going to be a confusing story, so all you thinkers out there, have at! I'm not sure how many chapters it'll have yet. I'm basing this on some pretty radical events that have been happening to people I know, so see if you can follow along…..

Rated R (just to be safe) for strong language and suggested…..um…..same-sex relationship content(don't want to give it away just yet!). No descriptive sex, though, so safe for some kiddies.

Ages:

Ash: 16

Misa:18

Misty:18

Brock: 20

Disclaimer: I most unfortunately do not own Pokemon or any of the characters associated with it (except for the character I created named Misa).

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 1: I love…..who?

The trio and Pikachu waltzed happily to Cerulean, immediately heading for the gym. This stop was the third and final leg of their vacation from training. They had stayed at Ash's for a week, where they were terribly pampered by his mom, and even Mr. Mime! Then, they had two-week long stay (that was only supposed to be a week) at Brock's, where Ash and Misty were quickly briefed on the pains of being a parent or guardian. Now, they were ready to rest in the Cerulean Gym, a week (maybe longer) at Misty's. 

Ash was glad to take a vacation from being a superstar, despite how long he'd wanted to be a Pokemon master. He was happy to finally hold the title. He enjoyed having all the money and the privileges and deals that came with it. What he didn't really enjoy was the one thing Brock longed for.

Girls throwing themselves at him.

He kind of enjoyed the attention, but it became a nuisance. Especially when he started filling out. He knew he looked better than when he was younger, but you wouldn't ever find him admitting to himself or anyone else that he was handsome. There was only one girl he wanted to hear that from, and he was pretty sure everyone knew who it was….except her of course.

That was just another reason he enjoyed the vacation. He figured her hometown would be as good a place as ever to tell her how he felt. That was only because he copped out of doing it at his house, but either way, now seemed as good a time as any!

He walked along in a daze, thinking about how he could tell her. Pikachu noticed his friend in such deep thought and didn't think it normal, so for his master's sake, he gave Ash a little shock. Just enough to get his hair on end. Ash laughed, tickled, and patted Pikachu on the head.

"Don't worry, little buddy. I'm gonna tell Misty tonight."

"Pika, pikachu!" he responded. Ash laughed again and jogged up to Brock and Misty.

"What are you so happy about, Ash?" Brock asked knowingly once the boy caught up to them.

"Oh, nothing special, just daydreaming." Misty rolled her eyes.

"Probably wondering what title he'll claim next." Ash looked at her, slightly hurt.

"I'm not that egotistical, Misty." Pikachu shocked him. "Not anymore," Ash added nervously. "I just can't wait till we can stop and spend some more time together," he finished, putting his arm around her shoulders. 

Misty smiled, quite comfortable. She was in love with Ash, and she knew it. "There's no point denying," she had told herself. She left it at that, though, not sure he felt the same way. Oh it was obvious to her that he liked her, but she was content being an older sister to him for the time being. They walked on that way till they reached the gym doors.

It was a Sunday, so the gym was closed. Misty reached into her backpack and grabbed her key, unlocking the front doors to let them all in.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he ran to find Misty's sisters. Ash ran after him while Misty locked the front door again. Lily, Daisy and Violet instantly recognized the call and came out to greet the travelers. Misty wasn't all the comfortable anymore.

"Like, hiya guys! We haven't seen you in ages!" Violet called.

"Yeah, you should, you know, drop by a lot more," Lily said, picking up Pikachu. Daisy hugged Brock and Ash before grabbing Misty's hands and looking into her eyes.

"And we've, well, we've missed you, little sister." Misty looked up, shocked.

"Are you serious?" Lily and Violet joined the group.

"Like, yeah. You're older now, you don't deserve all the crap we gave you. We were just joking around and stuff, you know." Misty's eyes watered as she smiled and nodded slightly. Daisy gave her a poke in the ribs.

"But that doesn't mean we're gonna stop picking on you and your boyfriend!" they all teased. Misty hammered each of them with her trusty mallet, but they all just laughed.

After the greetings were through, our heroes made themselves comfortable in their designated rooms. Then they each took a brief nap before swimming around with all their pokemon in the pool. Soon, it was time for dinner, which, as usual, got Ash running toward the table. 

All through the meal, there was scattered chatter. But Misty noticed her sisters kept glancing at each other, smiling. She dismissed it at first. Near the end of the meal, though, it finally got to her and she looked at all three of them, asking, "Ok, what's the big deal?"

Lily smiled even bigger, putting her fork down. "Well, we have a surprise for you, Misty. It wasn't exactly planned, cause like, we're beautiful, but we're not psychic. We didn't know you'd be stopping by."

Misty was definitely scared.

"So, if you didn't plan it, how do you know I'll like it? Or is the whole point the fact that I won't like it?" Daisy shook her head.

"Oh no, you'll definitely enjoy it. You'll see when we finish eating though. Mi-…your surprise won't be back for a little while yet." Misty, still nervous, shrugged and continued eating. Brock hadn't even paid attention to anything that was said, but Ash was frowning. He was planning on talking to Misty after dinner. Whatever it is, he thought to himself, I hope it doesn't ruin my plans.

After they were finished, Misty was fidgeting all over the place. She simply couldn't get the surprise out of her head, no matter how the others tried to calm her down. Finally, Ash pulled her aside and headed for the lounging area. After some pointless chitchat, she started calming down, but still had the idea in her head.

"Ash, what could it be? They've never done anything like this for me before. I don't know what to expect!" Ash put his arm on her shoulders, hugging her lightly.

"That's the point of a surprise, Mist." _Here goes nothing…_ "And speaking of surprises, I've got one for ya, too." She glanced over at him.

"You too?" He nodded.

"See, I've been meaning to tell you-" he was cut off by the front doors being unlocked, which echoed through the main lobby over to the lounging room next to it. Misty jumped.

"Who's that? No one else has a key to the gym!" A strange voice called, the speaker hidden by the dividing wall of the rooms.

"Hey Lily! I'm back! Is she here? I got your call and rushed back as soon as I could!"

"Like, yeah, hey girl! She's over in the lounging room with her booooyfriend!" Ash didn't react, not to that, anyway.

"Who is it, Misty?" Misty's eyes were wide open, her jaw dropped.

"It can't be!" she whispered. Ash, totally confused, waited for the form to come around the corner. Part of him was afraid it was some old boyfriend that she still held a torch for.

"Misty?" the voice called again. It was a low-toned voice, either a low voiced girl or a slightly high voiced guy. The form turned the corner, and Ash felt a wave of relief as a brown-haired girl smiled.

At least, he was relieved until Misty reacted.

"MISA!!!"

The two girls ran at each other and instantly hugged, holding each other tight. _A lot closer than I ever held her, too._ Misty smiled as she pulled back a little, keeping her arms around Misa's neck. Misa also kept her arms around Misty's waist, and their body's were barely an inch apart.

"Oh Misty, I've missed you so much!" Misa said as she kissed Misty's cheek. Ash's jaw dropped. _This better be a long-lost sister or something!_ Misty hugged her again.

"I haven't seen you in years, Misa! The last time I saw you, I thought you were leaving for good. I can't believe I found you again!"

"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen again, won't we?" They pulled apart, barely, again and stared into each other's eyes. Stared with a look Ash had never seen coming from Misty before.

A look he had always wished she'd give him.

Suddenly his heart broke.

*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*

Well? Confusing so far? Probably not, thanks to a reviewer, I realized it's not as bad as I thought. Maybe it won't be that bad at all. But anyway. Is Misty actually….? What is poor Ash gonna do?

Chapter 2 coming soon!


	2. Two of a Kind

A/N: Here comes chapter 2

A/N: Here comes chapter 2. Who is this new girl? Does Ash really want to know? And what kind of trouble is Brock gonna get himself into now? Find out in:

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 2: Two of a Kind

Ash floundered in a storm of emotions. What's with Misty? Do I have a chance? Why is she so touchy-feely with this chick? And most of all, WHO THE HELL IS SHE?!

When the two girls broke apart, Ash shook his head. _What am I thinking?_ he asked himself. _So Misty's getting a little over emotional. How can I be getting jealous of a girl!?_ Ash started to blush at the thought. Suddenly, Misty came running back toward him, holding Misa's hand and dragging her along.

"Ash, I can't believe this! This is my best-friend, Misa Petal. (A/N: Ok, TOTAL loss of rational thought, so don't murder me for the lame last name!) I can't believe she's here!" She broke to hug Misa again. Ash waited somewhat impatiently. "Anyway, we were born a month apart and our mothers were good friends, so we grew up together."

"Until we were six," Misa added.

"I was getting to that! Anyway, when we were six, she came over crying and said they were moving out of the country a day later. She spent the night and we fell asleep hugging. I'm pretty sure I've still got the picture in my room. But she left the next morning and we didn't see each other, but we kept in touch, for another four years. Even then, it was only brief. I didn't even know she was in town." Misty was taking a breath, and Ash took the opportunity to get a word in edgewise.

"Four years? So you saw her again just before you left with me? Why didn't you ever mention her?" Misty's mallet greeted his head once again.

"Shuddup and let me finish the story! Now where was I?" Misa put her unoccupied hand on Misty's shoulder, because neither of them had let go of the other's hand.

"Take a breather, girlfriend." Ash inwardly cringed, but shook it off quickly. _Just a slang term, that's all…_

"My parents said we were going back to Cerulean to visit all our old friends, including her parents. I was so excited, but I wanted to surprise Misty, so I didn't call or anything and my parents told her parents not to let her know. When I got here, I ran to Misty's room to find her crying her eyes out." Misty's eyes teared up, remembering the pain she had felt that night.

"My sisters had just finished ripping me to shreds, and I was positive that I was gonna kill myself. I couldn't take being just a runt anymore, so I wanted to end it. Then Misa came running in and held me as I cried." Ash's heart was starting to beat even faster as it broke, his mind racing even more. Did these two actually have a relationship going or what? As if wanting to scare him even more, Misa finally let go of Misty's hand, only to put her arm around her shoulders as he had just a moment before.

"I rocked her back and forth until she calmed down. She started to tell me what had happened and how she felt. When I heard her say she wanted to commit suicide, I started crying myself. She said she was positive her family didn't care about her, because all her parents could do was fawn over her sisters, and all her sisters could do was pick on her until she cried. So I held her close and told her how much-"

"she loved me," Misty finished for her, looking into her eyes once more with the stare that sent pain through Ash's heart again. "After that, we talked things out, and she convinced me to go out on my own. She convinced me that I could prove everything wrong that my sister's had said about me." She looked back at Ash. "So the next day, I left early in the morning and found you in the afternoon."

"I wasn't ever able to get back in touch with her, but I explained to her parents why she left. They told me thank you, that they had noticed something was wrong with their little girl, but didn't know what to do about it. So I left them at that, and that was the last I'd heard of her." Ash nodded, smiling. It was the only way he could hide the hurt he felt inside, the hurt that there was somebody who meant more to Misty than he did.

"That's an amazing story," he whispered, afraid that if he spoke any louder, he'd choke and cry. "I never knew you had anybody that close, Mist." Misty blushed.

"Well, I was supposed to be starting on my own, so I didn't want to bring back the bad memories. I always carried Misa with me, though. She was the one that saved my life." Ash just kept on smiling.

"So what brings you back now, Misa?" he asked, hoping the slight anger he felt growing in him didn't slip into his voice.

"Once I turned eighteen, my parents said I could move back if I wanted. So I did, and I found a job at the Pokemart. I've only been there for about a week, I've been in town for maybe two. Daisy came in my first day and recognized me, so I asked her when she thought Misty might come by again. She said she didn't know, and that's why the surprise wasn't really planned. It all depended on you guys."

"Wow. We've got some timing, don't we, Mist?" Misty smiled.

"I'll say. This is the best present I could come home to."

"Misty! Could you, like, help me out here? Your Psyduck is giving me a MAJOR headache!"

"Coming Lil!" she called back. "Why don't you guys get to know each other? I'll be right back." She ran out before either of them could say anything.

Needless to say, Ash was very, very uncomfortable.

"So you're Misty's boyfriend?" Misa asked.

"No, no, we're just really good friends. Her sisters just like to tease. We've been traveling together for about six years." She wrinkled her nose.

"I didn't think so." Ash looked slightly offended. "It's nothing against you, but she just doesn't seem the type to settle down with some guy. At least, not this early." Ash was very offended now.

"So what are you saying, she'd rather settle down with a girl like you?" he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" He quickly shook his head.

"I was just saying, I guess that makes sense, because otherwise, why would she have traveled with me for so long?" Misa smiled, nodding. "So how did you two become so close? An on and off rela-, er, friendship," he quickly covered, "like that seems hard to keep together." Misa suddenly got a day-dreamy look in her eyes, and she wasn't looking at him anymore, but at someone she was imagining behind him.

"Well, I'm not really sure. When I first left, it was really touch and go. Obviously, the letters were ok. But before that, it was like we were destined to be each other's friends from the very beginning. If you ask our parents, we were always playing with each other, or helping each other out. It was like that for the first six years, and we kept getting closer and closer. Then when I left, I felt like I was leaving a part of me behind. It hurt real bad, ya know? But she said we'd never really go bye-bye, that our friendship would last forever and ever. She said it just like that. So we wrote each other every week, never missed a beat. Each letter reminded me that I was still a whole person, that I was definitely worth something to somebody, even in my worst times. My last letter I wrote before we came back, I told her, 'I'm having such a great week! And I know things'll just get better! I'll wait till later to tell you all the wonderful things that've been happening, so until next time, Love, Misa.' Then I was here, ready to tell her. It figures that she needed me, this time. But we really just kinda, clicked, ya know? It was definitely then that we both realized how much, how much we loved each other. There's really no other way to say it. After she left, and I lost contact with her, I felt completely lost. I just had to keep believing she was out there, thinking about me, still keeping me in her heart. And it all paid off. Here we are again, reunited at last after six years. I'm hoping this time we can stay together for more than a couple of days."

"Well, you'll be able to, because we plan on being here for a week." Brock walked in, extending his hand to Misa.

"Oh! Hi, my name is Misa." She reached for his hand, shaking it cordially.

"I know, Misty attacked me the moment she saw me. All I heard was, 'Misa's here! Misa's here! You have to go meet Misa!' So I came down. My name's Brock, I'm the third party of the group."

Ash was glad Brock had come in. He was afraid he was actually going to try and kill Misa. He totally blocked out their conversation, losing himself in thought.

__

"I can't believe it! They really do have something going on! I've never seen Misty that comfortable around anyone, not even me, and Misa's damn story pretty much proves it. It's no wonder Misty never chased after any guys, except for that dumbass at the Princess Day competition. What was his name? Oh, who cares. It obviously doesn't matter now, she got over him quick enough. This isn't fair! I can't give her up, I love her! I know I love her more than this, this….chick does! I love her, I love her personality, and dammit, I love her body, too!

"And that makes me better than Misa?

"How do you know she doesn't love her body, too?"

Meanwhile:

"I heard most of your story. That's incredible," Brock commented.

"Yeah, it's sometimes hard for me to believe. But it's all true, and I betcha Misty'd say the same."

"It's nice to see you two have the chance to be together again. Pairings like that don't come along very often." Misa nodded in agreement. "Speaking of pairings, whaddya say we get to know each other a little more? Say, over dinner tonight?" Misa laughed.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in a boyfriend right now. Truthfully, I'm not even really interested in boys right now." It was before that comment that Ash had snapped back to, now more ready than ever to mangle Misa.

"Probably because you're interested in taking Misty to bed," he mumbled angrily. Neither Misa nor Brock understood what he said.

"What did you say, buddy?" Ash took a deep breath.

"Nothing, just kinda grumbling. You two just get acquainted, I'm gonna go check on the pokemon." He walked out before a word was said, much like Misty did, but with a whole lot less energy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ash walked in on Misty finally getting Psyduck back in his pokeball. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her, but he couldn't help but hurt either. He simply didn't want to believe she could be taken by another girl over him!

Misty smiled the moment she noticed him, and before he knew it, she was hanging off his neck like a little school girl.

"Can you believe it, Ash? This is the best vacation ever! I can't believe I finally get to see Misa again!" Ash's heart fell once more.

"Yeah, that's sure something else," he said with less enthusiasm then he intended. Misty noticed right away.

"Ash, is something wrong? You're upset, I can tell." He knew there was no point in shaking it off with her. She knew him, that was another reason he loved her so much.

__

Probably why Misa loves her, too…

"Oh, I know what it is." Ash freaked. He didn't think she knew him that well! "You're upset that I never told you about her before." Ash quickly nodded, not even attempting to speak. "I'm really sorry about that, Ash. I would've told you, but I just never thought about it. It's not like I spent every waking moment thinking about her, she was just a part of me.

"But now, I've got the greatest friend in the world here staying with me. My relationship with my sisters has already picked up." She stopped for a moment, tilting her head to the side slightly with a heavy-lidded gaze. "And I have you to share it all with."

Miraculously, Ash's heart repaired itself and ran like crazy. His mind could only think of two things: Misty and what he wanted to do with her (not entirely physical, mind you, because his body was already responding to that.) As soon as he swallowed, clearing his throat of the strange obstruction that popped up (no pun intended) out of no where, he managed to respond.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misty giggled in a unintentionally seductive way.

"I can't think of anyone else I'd want to share this moment with. This has to be the best week of my life!" she finished, hugging him. He smiled, a genuine smile, now, throwing all his doubts out the window, and hugged her back. When she pulled away, Lily walked in and immediately looked at Ash. Up and down, stopping just below his waist. Thinking, she made a calculation: Ash near Misty is obviously equaling…..

"Like, Ash, do you have a-"

"Hard headed one, aren't you Brock?" Misa said as she walked into the pool area of the gym with Brock. Immediately, any passionate thoughts Ash had left him as every doubt climbed back in to his mind through that open window. Misty beamed once more, dragging Ash's heart down underwater.

"Usually I am, but with you, I'm just playing. No offense or anything, but you're the first girl I haven't really been ogling non-stop. There's just something different about you."

"There sure is, all right," Ash growled.

"Isn't she great, Brock?" Misty said, totally ignoring, or maybe not even hearing, Ash's comment. "Come on, let's all go watch some TV." The group headed out of the arena as Violet came in with a letter.

"Oh Misa, this just came in for you." Misa grabbed the letter and opened it hurriedly. Scanning her eyes over it, she jumped up squealing for joy.

"What is it, Misa?" Misty asked excitedly.

"My parents are flying in to visit! They're landing tonight on flight number six-eighty-seven at ten o'clock! I get to see them in two hours!" They hugged again, jumping in unison. Brock stepped over to Ash, who was glaring uncontrollably.

"They're something else, aren't they?"

"They sure are, unfortunately." Violet got the two to calm down.

"You guys go relax and stuff, we'll be ready to take you to the airport at nine thirty, ok?" They all nodded and contiued off to the lounging area. Ash trotted behind the others, not wanting to risk losing control of his emotions.

Once the three of them sat down, the two girls still gabbing away, Brock grabbed the remote and clicked the tv on to the news. As Ash stepped in, only one thing was heard throughout the whole gym.

"OH DEAR GOD NO!!!!"

*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*

Duh-duh-duh! What happened? Can anybody guess? More than likely somebody will, but for those of you who can't, Chapter 3 is coming soon!


	3. Parade of Pain

A/N: Here we go, Chapter 3

A/N: Here we go, Chapter 3! No notes, really. What happened? Will Ash and Misty ever be? Or is it forever Misty and Misa? AND BROCK NOT OGLING OVER A GIRL?!?!?!? What strange things will we discover next in:

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 3: Parade of Pain

Ash cringed at the shrill cry. Once he opened his eyes, he noticed Brock gripping the remote with a deadpan face. He was staring intently at the TV, not betraying any emotion. Misty was sitting beside him, mouth opened slightly in shock, eyes bugged out, and her suspended in the air where they had been tickling Misa moments before.

Misa was standing, deathly pale and stiff, mouth still opened in the now silent scream with tears pouring out of her eyes.

Ash finally fixed his eyes on the television screen. There were sandslashes, sandshrews, digletts and dugtrios digging through a plane wreckage, trying to carry bodies out of the now smoldering aircraft.

The text at the bottom or the screen read "Flight 687 Taken Down by Microburst."

The group only listened long enough to hear that no survivors had been found, or were expected to be found. Brock turned off the TV, very slowly lowering his arm afterward. They all stood frozen in shock until Misty's sisters came running into the room.

"My god, we heard the scream, like, what happened?" Lily frantically asked. At that, Misa bolted out of the room, bawling her eyes out. The three girls watched her run out, painfully confused. Finally, Ash broke the silence.

"Misa's parents….their plane crashed, and…..there aren't any survivors." They all gasped at the news. Misty, as if she had just noticed Misa was gone, ran after the girl. Brock in turn ran after Misty, and Ash would've followed if Daisy hadn't stopped him.

"Don't, Ash, trust me. Misa needs Misty most of all right now, they're closer as sisters than we are." Ash could feel his face pale, but gently shrugged off Daisy's grasp and slowly walked in the path of the others. Daisy sighed.

"You know what he's thinking, don't you?" Violet asked.

"Of course, isn't it obvious? We've all been thinking it since Misa came back six years ago." Lily shook her head in disbelief.

"She can't be, I mean, all our teasing about Ash had to have had some effect! Why would she have traveled with him and Brock for so long?"

"Did I hear my name?" Brock was walking back toward them, being told to leave Misa and Misty alone by a forlorn Ash.

"Brock, what do you think? You know, about Misa and Misty's….friendship?" Brock looked confused.

"What do you mean? Their friends, what more to it is there?" The sisters waited. "I mean," he continued, "yeah, they're a little more…comfortable around each other than most people I know would be around same-sex friends, but other than that, there's really nothing." Daisy thought for a moment.

"Well, like, how does she usually treat Ashy-boy?" Brock looked surprised. It wasn't a question he expected.

"Well, it took a while, but they finally started being nice to each other. The closest I ever saw them was just in a hug, or with Ash's arm around her shoulders. No where near as close as those….two…." he trailed, finally getting the pieces of the puzzle put together.

"And how has she been treating him since Misa showed up?" Brock was floored. Tiny little Misty, a lesbian? It just couldn't be!

"She hasn't really paid him one scrap of attention. Not even as a fight," he whispered. "She surely isn't in love with Misa, is she?" The girls looked at each other, not knowing what to say. "You mean you three don't even know?!"

"We're just not sure. They've been like this since Misty's suicide threat. Misa would call here, asking how Misty was doing, and Misty'd do the same. Constantly. We figured you guys knew about it."

"Maybe that's why she never told Ash," Violet added.

"Maybe," Lily replied quietly. The four of them sat and pondered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash didn't care what the Sensational Sisters said, their idea wasn't so sensational to him.

He quietly walked toward the sounds of the sobbing Misa, and the soothing words that Misty offered. Once he found the room they were in, he silently stood outside the door and peeked in.

And nearly blew his cover by gasping.

Misty was holding Misa to her chest, softly stroking the shaking girl's hair while whispering, "Shhhh's, It'll be okay's, I'm here for you's," and so on. Occasionally, she'd kiss Misa's hair, rubbing the traumatized girl's back as the sobs decreased.

When Misa finally quieted down, Misty held her a few moments longer until her breathing came normally, not the short, truncated gasped they were at the moment. Ash watched it all, heart breaking piece by piece to the point it was nearly a fine powder. Finally, Misa pulled herself away from Misty, somehow managing a smile through the pain of losing her parents two hours before she was supposed to pick them up. It vanished quickly though, and she fought the urge to break down and cry again.

"How could that have happened, Misty?" she managed to croak out. Misty just shook her head.

"Microbursts are unpredictable, Misa. Most times, they're not even detected until the plane is already in it. It was just a freak accident." Misa shivered a little more.

"How am I gonna get through this, Mist? I mean, it took me so long to find you again. I'd really thought I'd lost you. Now, I find you and my parents…." She stopped, for fear of choking. Ash fumed at someone using the name that Misty had only ever let him use before. Misty lifted Misa's chin with her hand, looking into her eyes with that same, loving stare.

"I'll be right here, Misa. I'll always be here for you, no matter what." The two girls embraced. "We'll never be that far apart again."

Ash could feel the fine powder that was now his heart, blown away by his love's own breath. So he thought. In fact, with those words, the fine powder was only swept into a pile.

It was when Misty gently kissed the girl's forehead, then her lips, that the small pile was lit, left to burn throughout the night.

Ash left, his now non-existent heart flaming in a pain that spread through his soul.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Misty had actually shocked herself by doing that. She had intended to kiss Misa's forehead, but once she looked down and saw Misa reaching up, she had no idea what came over her.

_It's okay, though,_ she thought. _I love her. It wasn't like a display of passion or anything. I was just calming her down._ And the kiss had its desired effect. Misa, in a state of semi-shock herself, had sufficiently recovered. She eventually looked up at Misty again and smiled.

"Thank you so much, Misty. I don't know what I'd do without you." They hugged once more before Misa decided she'd give in for the night. Misty gave the impression of tucking her in, before leaving. Then, to both their surprises, Misa asked, "Misty, would you….kiss, me again."

"I…..I guess, but why?" Misa thought about it.

"Well, I'm not sure. It's just like….it makes me feel comfortable. I guess it's kinda like I have my own older sister now. You don't have to, ya know." Misty shook her head.

"No, that's ok. I know what you mean," she whispered as she bent down to kiss her.

Brock quietly squeaked in shock.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Misty pulled away, smiling warmly to a yawning Misa.

"I'll see you in the morning, 'kay Mis?" Misa simply nodded before making herself comfortable. Misty quietly walked out of the room, gently shutting the door. She (somehow) didn't notice Brock plastering himself again the wall, trying to hide from what he'd seen. As Misty walked past, he held his breath. Sweat drenched his brow as she stopped, having barely past him, to yawn and stretch. Slowly, she continued moving down the hall and eventually turned the corner into her room.

Brock, stiff, fell to the floor in the position he was in.

Once he shook of the cramps, he shook off the shock. With a giddy smile on his face, he tip-toed back toward his room.

"Wait till the girls hear about this in the morning!"

*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*

Uh oh! What's gonna happen when Misty's sisters find out about her little "escapade"? And what's Ash gonna do about it? Find out when chapter 4 comes out!


	4. She loves me, she loves you.....too?

A/N: Things are starting to heat up

A/N: Things are starting to heat up! I'm thinking….two, maybe three more chapters. You guys like so far? Imagine actually living through it. It sure is something else, lemme tell you….

Anyway, on with the show!

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 4: She loves me, she loves you….too?

The next morning was beautiful; the sun was shining, birds were singing, flowers were creating a sweet scent that was a precursor to delicious breakfasts being cooked all over town. It was a perfect day that everyone was determined to enjoy.

'Cept Ash of course. He could've killed them all without a second thought.

Groggily, he rose out of his bed, not taking more than a few minutes to clean up his face. He lifted a comb to his head, but stopped, realizing that all the tossing and turning he had done last night had actually made his hair look a tiny bit neater. Shrugging, he made his way downstairs.

Brock, however, was already there. Somehow, he'd managed to keep his mouth shut about Misty's goodnight kiss. _I guess poor Ash should be the first to know. I'll just have to try and break it to him gently, _he thought. Yet when he saw the ragged young lad round the corner, he thought it would be even better not to tell him.

Misty and Misa came down within seconds of each other. They were both much happier than anyone would've suspected, especially after what had happened the night before. Still, you could see the circles under Misa's eyes. They were still puffy and red, and more lines were visible on her delicate face. Her gait was a little less bouncy, almost as if she were dragging herself along by willpower alone.

Still, anyone who wasn't looking closely enough could easily be fooled by the grin on her face.

The sisters were shocked, to say the least. Brock and Ash simply ate as if nothing had happened.

Breakfast continued with only scattered chatter. The girls were afraid of stepping on a sore spot with Misa, so kept quiet. The boys simply were afraid of letting something slip that shouldn't. Eventually, Lily asked that they all go to town to buy some supplies for the gym. Misty was the first to respond.

"It'll be great to get out on a day like this! Especially all together!" With conflicting emotions, Brock and Ash reluctantly agreed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A little after noon, the group left the gym for the park. It was, yet again, Misty's idea.

"Come on, let's go have some fun before we shop. It'll be easier without packages to carry around." Misa jumped at the offer, while Brock and Ash followed at a slower pace.

With the girls way out of earshot, Brock figured now was the time to break the ice to Ash.

"Um, hey Ash, can I ask you something?" Ash merely grunted in reply. "Have you noticed anything strange lately?"

"Aside from the fact Misa's parents died not 24 hours ago and she's acting like a ten year old on a picnic? No, nothing at all," he answered sourly. Brock cringed, wondering whether or not to say anything after all. _I can't just leave him hanging though._ "Why, what have you noticed?"

"Well," Brock started softly. "It's just that…" he stopped, unsure of what to say. He took a slow, deep breath. "I think Misty might be a lesbi-" he was cut off when Ash fist came swinging into his face. In an instant, Brock was on the ground with a bloody nose and split lips. Before he could realize what had just happened, Ash was on him, a knee on both sides, lifting Brock off the ground by is shirt. There was such intense anger in his eyes that Brock just about passed out right then, and he would've had Ash not been shaking him.

"If you ever, EVER, say that again you ass-kissing motherfucker, I'll pound your horny little face in, got it?" Brock, being throttled, couldn't really speak. "Got it!?" He weakly nodded his head. Ash roughly threw him against the ground and stormed away.

"Tell the girls I'm waiting back at the gym," he called back, leaving a dazed and bleeding Brock struggling to stand. By the time Ash was nearly out of view, and after Brock had unsuccessfully tried to get up three times, the girls noticed he was down. Slightly concerned, they walked over toward him. Once they saw the blood, they ran the rest of the way, fearing the worst.

Babbling slightly, Brock managed to explain what had happened. He still couldn't believe it himself. He never knew Ash could get that angry, nor that physical.

"I guess our scrawny little brat can take care of himself now," he said as Misa was holding him steady on his feet. Misty seemed taken aback by the comment, though none of them knew why. She looked down to the ground, not sure of what to do next.

After an awkward silence, Misty cleared her throat and said, "Misa, why don't you take Brock to the hospital to get checked? I'm gonna see if Ash is okay." Before anything could be said, Misty was on her way back to the gym.

"What's up with those two?" Brock asked, his words slurring out of his mouth. Misa had an arm around his waist, helping him balance. She shook her head.

"I'm not sure. Ash, I just have no clue about, but Misty…she's never acted like this before. Come on, let's get you back to the gym so you can rest."

As they walked along, Misa was deep in thought. _Misty's never had that look on her face before. I never thought Ash could would affect her that much. Unless, maybe…_

"Brock, Misty is in love with Ash, isn't she?" Brock was suddenly awake, the pain disappearing.

"What?! I thought she was in love with you!" Misa looked at him, confused. It took him a second to realize what he had just said, and then he realized there was nothing he could do about it. "I don't know, we always thought she was. In love with Ash, that is. At least, until we got here. The only person who didn't know about Misty's feelings was Ash. And the only one who didn't know about Ash's feelings was Misty. We all thought they'd get together until you came along." Misa looked hurt. How could I have stopped them? "I mean, it's really nothing against you," Brock went on. "It's just that, it seems like Misty is more…intimate, with you, than she'd ever be with Ash. She doesn't even give him the time of day any more. And since that never happened before she found you, we figured you two were, well, you know…" Misa was shocked.

"You thought the two of us were in a lesbian relationship!?" Brock cringed a little, not expecting such vehemence, but in a way he was glad she answered like that. It proved they weren't.

"What else were we supposed to think!? Her sisters have been wondering about it ever since her suicide threat, and we just came to wonder about it the moment you came bounding through the door! It didn't help much that I saw her give you that little good night kiss!" Misa had to use every ounce of self-control she had not to knock Brock's lights out as Ash had intended to do. _The nerve!_ she thought.

"So because of one kiss, you think we're together?! We love each other, but that doesn't mean we're in a relationship!" They were both yelling now, and if not for the fact that Brock's face was bloody and still bleeding, people would've stopped to listen, yet they walked on in fear of their own safety.

"You're both girls! What am I supposed to think when two women, who aren't related to each other, kiss! Not to mention stare at each other with the most intense look of, of, of romance, every chance they get!"

"Ok, so we show our affection a little more than most. What's so wrong with that!? I, love, her! She loves me, do I have to spell it out anymore than that?! Why can't two girls simply love each other as sisters without everybody jumping down their backs!?" Brock let her words sink in. Suddenly he felt guilty. Misty never had that type of affection from her own sisters, and Misa was an only child. _Why should it be that bad? She's right, she's telling the truth._ He relaxed, exhaling loudly.

"I'm really, really sorry, Misa. You're right, I see that now. It's just that, when we were all expecting Misty's feelings for Ash to show through, they show up for a different person. None of us knew what to think, other than the obvious: you two were in a relationship." Misa was relaxed now, hearing the sincerity in Brock's voice. "And that's exactly what Ash thinks, that you've taken Misty away from him. He won't admit it, I didn't even know until he decked me. I had mentioned to him that I thought as much, about you two, and he went ballistic. He's hurting terribly, but he wants to see Misty happy, so he hasn't done anything about it." They both paused. Misa looked up.

"At least, not yet he hasn't." They looked off in the direction of the gym.

What would happen next?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash paced furiously in his room. There were already slight track marks on the carpet, and he had every intention of creating a nice, deep rut in the floor.

"How could he?" he said to the collection of nobodies in the room. "Even he thinks they love each other! What am I supposed to do now?" He continued pacing and mumbling. After a while, though, he stopped mumbling and slowed his pace down a bit.

"I'll put an end to it, that's what I'll do. I'll end it all."

Meanwhile, downstairs, Misty was slowly making her way up to his room.

"What could be wrong with him? Brock must have said something really bad for Ash to actually hit him like that! I hope he's all right. He better not be hiding something from me." She trudged on, a look of concern masking her face. As she came to the door of his room, she stopped to take a deep breath. When she thought herself ready, she turned the corner and stepped into the room.

"Listen, Ash, I just-"

Her eyes widened in shock.

Woah nellie, gotta love those cliffhangers! This took two, maybe three days to find the time to finish it. And in those few days, I'm thinking this might go a little longer than just two or three more chapters. Hope you don't mind! Chapter 5 should be coming relatively soon!


	5. A Personal Situation

A/N: Things are winding down pretty fast

A/N: Things are winding down pretty fast. This should be a fairly short chapter. Let's see what happens now, in:

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 5: A Personal Situation

Misty had barely planted her feet in Ash's room when suddenly he was two inches from her face. She gasped, and in an instant he had his arms around her, crushing her to his body while kissing her with all the passion, love, anger and confusion he could muster. In the very back of his mind, he was praying that this wasn't the biggest mistake of his life. _What better way to let her know, though._

Misty, on the other hand, was overwhelmed. She had always wanted Ash to do this. Maybe not quite in this fashion, but the unexpectedness (A/N: Is that a word?) of the situation, and the aggression he was showing, seemed to make it all that more enjoyable….arousing, even. Once she recovered from what was happening, she responded with all of her pent-up passion. Everything she had ever felt for him went into the kiss.

Ash was overjoyed once she responded.

He scooted them over gently, just enough to reach over and slam the door, fumbling with the lock. All the while, Misty's hands started exploring his body, struggling to peel off the tight black shirt that was only teasing her senses even more. Once Ash managed the lock, his hands struggled to catch up with hers, feeling all over her body, pressing her close to him. He had no intention of sleeping with her, though it was a pressing thought at the moment. He caressed her through her shirt, ran his hands up and down her back, grabbed her small waist and pulling her against him, gently rubbing and causing a delicious, tantalizing friction.

Misty had no objections, she was loving every bit of it. Soon, though, through the haze of heat and passion, she came to realize what was happening, and the fact that she had no idea _why_ it was happening. Slowly, she pushed his hands away and stepped back, breathless.

Ash was immediately afraid. Had he done something wrong? Did he go too far for her?

"Ash, what's going on?" she whispered. He smiled and gently pulled her back toward him, kissing her forehead. That simple gesture seemed to render her helpless. He slowly moved down her face, kissing her temples, eyes, cheeks, nose.

"Because," he said softly, as he kissed his way down her neck. "I didn't want to just tell you I loved you." He continued kissing back up her neck, reaching her ear and simply blowing lightly into it, before whispering, "I wanted to show you, too." Misty shivered, her body responding in every way possible to the heated pressure Ash was putting on her. Tears filled her eyes, though she wasn't too sure why. He continued to kiss her, letting his tongue have its share of fun, as well.

"Oh Ash," she said, unintentionally moaning it out. He was behind her now, teasing the back of her neck and setting her on fire. She pulled away and turned around, kissing him full on the lips. When she stopped, much to his disappointment, she looked deeply into his eyes.

"I love you, too." His eyes lit up, shining brighter than they had in the past few days. He hugged her tightly to him, causing her to laugh. He started spinning in circles, making her laugh even more.

"Oh, Misty, I've wanted to hear you say that forever!" Once he stopped spinning, he put her down and stared into her eyes. "You mean it, don't you? Please say you mean it." She simply nodded and he kissed her again, over and over.

"You can't believe how happy I am!" He squealed between kisses. She couldn't help but think it a riot.

"I think I can, Ash. You're doing a very good job of showing it." He stopped, blushing. She kissed him on the cheek. "But I think it's cute." He smiled, hugging her again.

"But it'll stop being cute if you break my ribs," she croaked. He blushed brighter, letting her go.

"I can't believe you feel that way. I've wanted to tell you for so long." Misty smiled knowingly.

"Surely you can come up with a better line than that, Ash Ketchum!" He looked hurt.

"But I mean it, Misty!" She sighed.

"I know, silly. That's always how it is, that's all I'm saying. Now come on, let's go downstairs. You did quite a number on Brock! What did he say to get you so riled up?" Ash's heart froze. What to tell her?

"Um….I was just, upset. Confused and all, ya know. He accidentally said something, that just kinda set me off. I can't even remember what it was." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, at least he wasn't badly injured. You could've gone easier on him, though." Ash smiled, relieved.

"I'll remember that." _Hopefully it'll never happen again anyway. Thank god she bought it!_ She pulled on his hands.

"Anyway, let's go check on him. They're probably worried that you killed me or something." He quickly stepped up to her, placing a light, sweet kiss on her unexpecting lips.

"I would never, ever do anything to hurt you." She smiled.

"I love you, too, Ash." They both giggled before heading down the stairs.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ta-da! The End!

Or is it? You could stop reading at this chapter if you wanted to. But for those of you who think you want to see my warped, twisted mind weave more on this tale, keep watching! Chapter 6 will be out within the next week!


	6. Love and Desperation

A/N: Ok, here comes Ch

A/N: Ok, here comes Ch. 6! Sure ya wanna keep going? Aren't you happy with how it "ended" in the last chapter? Well, I am, but there are still so many things that could go wrong! My, not warped, not demented, but ever persistent imagination continues with:

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 6: The Spell's Been Said

Lily and the others were preparing lunch with the groceries that a haggard looking Brock had brought back with Misa's help. The two left later on to talk things out, leaving the trio confused.

"Like, I wonder what could've happened to him? He looks really, really bad," Violet worried.

"Eh, he's a big boy. If he can put up with Ash and Misty for soooo many years, surely he can take care of himself." They all nodded in agreement.

"We heard that!" Misty called around the corner. The sisters looked as the couple came in holding hands.

"So what's for lunch? I'm starved!" Ash exclaimed. Misty elbowed him.

"What's new?" Her sisters stared at them, then at each other, then back at them, mouths wide open.

"You?"

"Two?"

"Are…."

"Together? Yeah, great going! You must've burned up a few brain cells figuring that one out!" Misty teased. She waited for them to attack her, but instead, they got together in a group hug, jumping up and down squealing. She looked at Ash, confused. He could only shrug, not knowing what was going on, either.

Soon they stopped, whispering among themselves. The couple backed away slowly, very afraid now, but within an instant, they were tackled into the group hug.

"Oh, we are so, like, TOTALLY happy for you two!"

"Yeah, it's about time you two kiddies figured it out!"

"Geez, guys, you make it sound like we're getting married," Ash managed to croak. He never realized the Sensational Sisters were sensationally strong!

"We're just happy for you, that's all. It took you forever to get together."

"Oh well," they said together, laughing.

"So where'd Brock go?" Misty asked. Ash's heart leapt at the fact she hadn't said Misa's name. "Is he all right? He looked pretty banged up."

"Yeah, he's fine," Daisy answered, turning back to making lunch. "We cleaned him up and stopped the bleeding, then he and Misa went out to talk about something." Misty shrugged.

"Ok, as long as he's not dying on me or something." Ash sighed, relieved. His heart froze once Daisy had said "the name", as he came to know it. _Things are still so tentative now, the tiniest thing could ruin it for both of us!_ He snapped out of it once he realized Misty was dragging him by the elbow.

"Come on, Ash!" she said impatiently. "Can you even hear me in there? Let's go watch some TV." He nodded, smiling at her.

_Thank you, God, I'm in heaven!_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Brock and Misa were slowly making their second lap around the entire Cerulean gym. They weren't sure what to make of things, especially since they had no idea of what was happening between Misty and Ash.

"I hope he hasn't done anything rash to her," Misa thought aloud. Brock shook his head.

"No matter how mad he gets, he would never do anything to hurt Misty. And granted, I've never seen him quite as mad as he was today, I've seen him pretty close before, and he rarely ever snapped at her without feeling guilty, much less lay a hand on her. No, I have no doubts that she's perfectly all right."

"But will Ash be when this is over?" Brock couldn't answer that one. They continued on in silence for a while.

Brock wasn't sure how things would work out. Surely things would be ok once everyone realized Misa and Misty's relationship was perfectly harmless, wouldn't it? He still had a nagging feeling, though. The idea that even after talking things out with Misa, something was still going to go wrong.

Misa was thinking the exact same thing. How could they ever imagine Misty and I were in an actual relationship?!, she wondered at first. Then she thought of all the times they had spent together, few as they may be, and how close they were during those times. _Ok, so we didn't exactly give convincing evidence that we **weren't** together. _And the kiss….

What about that?, she asked herself. It was still a shock to her. Oh, she'd had her share of boyfriends before, and she knew it was nothing like that. And it wasn't quite like her mom ever kissing her goodnight, either. But there was still something so different about when she had kissed Misty. _It's not like I **want** to do it again, but…I wouldn't mind if it happened…_

Why? She kept asking herself that over and over. It just didn't seem normal! She went into deep, deep thought. It had been a year or two since her last boyfriend. And Brock wasn't that bad…

"Brock, I have an idea. For my side of the story, anyway."

"Oh yeah? What would that be?" he asked, pulled out of his own thoughts. She stopped walking, her head down with a slight tint of red to her cheeks. He turned around, standing in front of her. "Misa? What's up?"

"I hope this proves my theory," she whispered, leaving Brock totally clueless. Suddenly, he found himself being kissed. He didn't know why, he didn't know who, truthfully, and he didn't know whether or not he was dreaming.

Misa felt it. She was right! As her triumphant feeling grew, she found herself unintentionally kissing Brock longer than originally planned. Though neither of them seemed to mind. Brock was still figuring things out, and Misa was still overjoyed.

When they finally broke apart, neither of them said a word.

A few seconds later…

"What the hell was that for!?" Brock asked in a stupefied fashion. Misa blushed a bright red.

"Well, I was thinking about when I…kissed, Misty. I didn't understand what the feeling was. Then I realized it's been a while since I had a boyfriend, and I thought that maybe, it was just sort of…hormonal, I guess." Brock was still lost. Misa expected as much. "Well, see, when I kissed her, it was kind of the same feeling of kissing someone you love as a, a….significant other, that's it….and kind of like, family." Brock nodded, slowly catching on.

"So, it was…security, almost. Since your parents,…died, suddenly, you felt alone." Misa cringed at first, trying to push back the rising pain from the still healing wound, but then nodded excitedly, ecstatic that he understood.

"The physical security, exactly! Oh, I am SO glad you understand! I thought I was going crazy!"

"No, no, it makes perfect sense when you explain it that way. That's great now! I think we've figured things out. Ready to go back?" She nodded, and they made their way to the door leading into the kitchen.

But both of them still had the feeling something was going to go wrong.

Meanwhile…

The girls were still in shock. It was a happy shock, but shock, nonetheless.

"Wow, it finally worked out for those two."

"Hey sis, don't say anything yet. Misa's still around and that could still present a problem."

"You're right, that's not good. How can we be sure that won't cause, like, friction or something between them?"

"Between who?" Brock said, walking back in. Lily jumped up proudly as Misa followed Brock.

"Well, if you must know, Ash and Misty are finally a couple!" Brock face-vaulted into sheer joy. At least, until he looked back at Misa.

She, on the other hand, didn't know what to think.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash was the most comfortable he'd been their entire vacation. He sat on the couch with his arm around Misty and her head resting comfortably against his chest. They were watching You've Got Mail, which at first threw them into a fit of laughter.

"I can't think of a more perfect movie, though," Misty commented once they could breath again. Being the ever hopeless romantic, she was lost in the movie. Ash, on the other hand, was lost in her.

_I can't believe it. I just can't believe it, _he thought. He smiled, and then leaned down to kiss her forehead. She looked up at him.

"What was that for?"

"For being so cute," he offered with a smile. She blushed, and he took that as an invitation to kiss her. She closed her eyes and melted into his arms. And they were both perfectly content with this.

"Sorry for interrupting, but could I simply say 'Congratulations' real quick?" The two pulled apart as Brock made his dramatic entrance, leaning against the doorframe. They were both blushing and Brock simply laughed. "Like I said, congrats. I'll leave you two alone now, you can go back to breathing for each other," he said teasingly. Misty threw a pillow at him, which he barely dodged.

"I'd throw a mallet, but I think you had enough punishment for one day."

"Oh yeah, sorry about that Brock-o."

"Hey, no prob, man. I should've kept my mouth shut, anyway." He launched the pillow back at Ash once his attention turned back to Misty. After the impact, he stopped mere centimeters from head-butting Misty. Brock chuckled.

"Just remember, I owe ya one now!" With that he left before Ash could fire the pillow once more. Misty giggled.

"Aw, come one, leave him alone now." He slowly turned back toward her, still with a slightly sour look on his face. "As you were saying?" Ash looked confused.

"I was saying something." Misty rolled her eyes before resuming their kiss for a brief moment.

"Oh. That." He gently pulled her toward him, kissing her more passionately than before, gently slipping his tongue past her lips, which was happily greeted by her own. They could both feel the heat rising in them as Ash wrapped his arms around her, ever-so-slowly lowering her on the couch. Misty squirmed her legs under him, eventually wrapping them around his waist as they sought a more comfortable position, clinging to each other. Ash could feel his temperature rising as Misty rubbed her body against his, plunging him into a world of desire once more.

"Hey Misty! Can I talk to you for a sec?" Once again, Ash was ripped from his world as _her_ voice called from upstairs. Misty didn't seem to notice at all.

"Coming, Mis!" she called back, crawling away from Ash as if they had just been lying there instead of making out. He painfully watched her go, forgetting him again for this other girl.

"This can't be," he whispered. "She loves me." He laid back down on the couch, covering his face with the pillow, fighting back the tears. His foot hit the remote, changing the channel to MTV.

"Why? Why is this happening!?" he screamed into the pillow. A tiny voice asked him, _Why are you letting it?_ He pondered for a moment, quickly coming up with an answer. "I want her to be happy."

A new video started up, but Ash didn't watch it. He merely cried as the words played through his mind.

__

She never breaks into the conversation

He seems to be the reason why she lives

She tries to be the perfect kind of stranger

But we always seem to love the most

The ones who never give

"No! She loves me back, I know she does!" he cried. He quieted, listening on.

__

It's between two hearts

A personal situation

It's between two hearts

The kind of love with a reputation

We never have to ask her why she's crying

The smile she had's been kicked into a frown

But still it makes her day to be his pleasure

Should we open up her eyes

Can we ever break the spell

No one can tell

He pondered some more. "Her happiness _is_ more important, isn't it? I shouldn't be so selfish, expect her to give Misa up for…me." His frown deepened, as did the hollow in his heart.

__

It's between two hearts

A personal combination

It's between two hearts

The kind of love with a bad reputation

Put on your party face and come along

Join in the big parade

Here comes the camera

Do you look as good as your sister

Smile at the animals

They should be the ones in the cages

Oh turn the pages

_She should come before me,_ he thought. _If I really love her…I'll let her decide._

Another way to spend a rainy Sunday

Waiting for a call that never comes

The mystery is how she makes her choices

But don't we always choose

The ones who hide the sun

It's between two hearts

Love and desperation

It's between two hearts

The kind of love

The kind of love

Between two hearts

A personal situation

It's between two hearts

The kind of love with a reputation

"Yeah," he said to the empty room. "The reputation of pain." He clenched the pillow to his face, crying his heart out.

Brock stood outside the doorway, his own heart hurting for his best friend.

"We were right, Misa. There's one move left to make." He walked toward Misa's room, leaving Ash alone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ouch! That hurt me just thinking about it. So what's left to do? Well, that's obvious, but what will Misty's decision be? Chapter 7 coming soon.

Disclaimer: "Between Two Hearts" was performed Dio and is owned by Ronnie James Dio, copyrighted 1990 by Niji Music BMI/Shnick Music ASCAP

I did the disclaimer for all the poke-people in the first chapter, and I still don't own them! WAAAAAH!

__


	7. End of the Circle

A/N: Chapter 7, it's coming to an end

A/N: Chapter 7, it's coming to an end. I've decided there will be an eighth chapter, but it will be more of an epilogue – a dedication to friend of mine.

Ok, before I burst out into tears, here it is:

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Chapter 7: End of the Circle

Misa sat down on her bed, Misty following. She couldn't believe that Misty and Ash had gotten together! She wasn't sure why, but it just didn't sit right. _Am I jealous of Ash?_

"What's on your mind, Mis?" Misty asked, worried. Misa had a vacant look on her face, but Misty knew her well enough that she could see behind the blank stare and find her true emotion: confusion.

"Are,…are you and Ash…happy? Together?" Misa prodded tentatively. Misty was suddenly lost in her own world; Misa crashed into one of reality. _That clinches it._

"Yeah, we definitely are. I love him so much, Misa, it's wonderful! I've never felt more…more complete, in my entire life." Misa weakly smiled, but Misty was so lost in emotion she didn't even notice.

"Complete? You mean, completely complete?" Misty laughed.

"Of course, silly! I'm finally whole…Misa, what's wrong?" She finally saw the confusion turn to pain as Misa's eyes began to water. She turned away, trying to hold back the tears.

"Why can't I be that way?" she said in a hoarse voice. Misty was at a loss. "Why am I losing so much? I can't seem to keep hold of things in my life anymore! What did I do wrong?"

"Misa…what are you talking about?" Misa jumped away violently. Misty was definitely scared.

"What do you think?! I've been alone for six years, Misty! I was in a different country, without anybody but my parents. I had friends, but they couldn't replace what I had with you. That trust, that warmth was never there. And as I started to grow up a little, my parents were more and more distant. My need for independence started to kick in, so they agreed to let me leave when I turned 18. So I did, and let go of even them, the last people I had! I wasn't even sure you were alive, Misty. There was such a time gap between your sisters sending a letter and me receiving it, then replying. How did I know you weren't dead, or had just forgotten about me in that time? Then, I find you and my parents die. They died coming to see me! What did I do to deserve that?! What was so terribly wrong about my life, that they had to ripped away from me, before I even got to see them again?!" Misa was screaming at the top of her lungs, her face soaked with tears, yet red hot with anger. The full force of her loss, the loss that Misty had helped lock away, was finally being released. Denial was over, and anger was in full force.

Misty could barely stand to look into the girl's eyes. This wasn't her best friend, not the one she knew.

"Misa, I don't know…it was a freak accident, it could've happened to anyone!" At that moment, she was sure Misa was about to slap her.

"_Why me!?!_ Why couldn't it happen to, to…I don't know, you're precious Ash, huh?" It was Misty's turn to be angry.

"Now wait just one damn minute, why are you dragging Ash into this? What did he ever do to you? You've known him two days!"

"I don't know, what did he do, huh? What did _I _do? What made us so different that _his_ parents couldn't be dragged away from him!?" She started to tromp around the room in circles.

"Why him, Misa? Why didn't you use me or my sister-" then it hit her. Only a glancing hit, but it finally hit her. "You're jealous, aren't you?" Misa glared at her full force.

"What did you say?" An icy cold venom dripped from each word.

"You heard me. You, Miss Misa Petal, are _jealous _of me!" Misa flared.

"Why the hell would I be jealous of a spoiled little bitch like you?" Misty ignored the pain of the word and pointed an accusing finger.

"Ha! There, that proves it! You're so upset that I'm finally happy in life! Especially at a time that you're not! Well I'm sorry if I can't help it, but I don't see why I should put my happiness on hold just for you!" Misa simply absorbed the hurt. She couldn't stand it now, there was nothing left to do but to take everything in. _Then I can throw it right back!_

"Happiness? Oh yeah, of course you're happier than me, you totally ignored the fact that everyone under this damn roof thought we were lesbians! Oh, or didn't you know that?" she asked once Misty's expression had changed. "Even your thick-headed little boytoy thought that. They've thought that since we were _ten_, Misty. Ten years old and they thought we were in a _relationship!!!_ Whaddya say to that, huh? Are you all nice and happy now? Well?! Are you!?" Misty was glued to the spot. _Lesbians!!_

"You're…you're insane."

"Oh am I? Why do you think Ash attacked Brock like that? It's because Brock said he thought that! They all thought it, especially your sisters!" They were both near tears. _Ash attacked him for that?_ She quickly tried to think. _That wouldn't have made him mad unless…._ Her head shot up confidently.

"So you automatically hold that against them? Ash might have thought that, but that doesn't mean he believed it. Why else would he have confessed he loved me?" Misa stared dumbly. "Didn't think about that, did you? So you are jealous, but not just of the fact I'm happy, but because I actually have _trust_ in people! Trust you can't seem to hold!" Misa was furious. _Misty, how could you!? Even you've turned on me…_

"Fine, I'm fucking jealous, are you happy now?! You've finally got your little counterpart and you're all nice and happy in dream world, all because that jackass Ash took you away from me!"

Misty was finally hit full-force. _Oh god, what have I done?_ Misa wasn't finished, though. She was pacing back and forth in a heated rage. Misty walked over to stand where Misa could see her, but she made sure she was safely near the wall and out of the pacing path. As Misa turned though, she stopped, her back to Misty.

"Now. I'm. All. **_ALONE!_**" she spun quickly, punching full force. All of her hate, anger, pain, ever last bit of emotion was flowing behind her fist. Misty shut her eyes and screamed as she heard the glass shatter beside her ear. There was a sickening thud, followed by the piercing sound of cracking bone. A stray piece of glass sliced her cheek, letting a small trail of blood make its way down her face. When Misty risked a glance, she could see glass stuck in Misa's hand, which now looked like a bloody, bumpy ball. In Misa's eyes, Misty could only see exhaustion.

After a few seconds, she collapsed. Misty was in a state of shock. She looked over to the now shattered picture frame, wobbling in its position on the wall.

It was the photo of her and Misa when they were six years old, cradling each other in their sleep.

Misty shrieked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Misty's cry pierced through Ash's foggy state of mind. He launched himself up off the couch and ran up the stairs. Knocking over a bewildered Brock, he nearly shot past the door to Misa's room and had to skid to a stop.

Misty was still in shock. The cut on her face was dribbling a little faster now, adding to the small pool around Misa's fist. Ash had to admit guiltily that he was actually satisfied with the scene, or at least Misa's part of it. Still, he had Misty, dear, sweet Misty to think of.

"Brock, get in here and help me carry Misa out to the car." He waited for Brock to stumble in before getting a hold of her by the knees. Brock shook himself, getting back in to sorts with the world and slipped his arms under her armpits, locking them across her chest. As they lifted, Ash looked over to Misty. "Do you want to come, Mist?" She shook her head. Actually, it just kind of quivered side to side. "Just wait in your room, okay?" She didn't nod, but simply walked out, zombie-like. Ash sighed and followed Brock, carefully directing him down the steps and out the door. After a few minutes of struggling with the frantic trio, they managed to slip Misa's still unconscious form into the back seat.

"Brock, have Lily take you, ok?" Brock opened the front passenger door, but didn't get in.

"Aren't you going to come?" Ash shook his head.

"Misty needs me now." Brock smiled and sat in the car. Lily got in on the driver's side, while Violet and Daisy went to get the other car. Ash watched them drive away until he couldn't make them out anymore. Only then did he turn and walk back into he gym.

Once he made it back up the stairs, he realized it was awfully quiet. He quickened his steps toward Misty's room, and to his relief, found her safely curled up on her bed. She was rocking back and forth slowly, eyes wide open and glazed. He walked over to her, but she didn't seem to see him. His heart broke. _Maybe she doesn't need me…_ He start to walk away, but a cold, shivering hand grabbed his. He looked back into her pleading eyes and immediately turned around, sitting beside her on the bed and holding her. His warmth broke the dam inside of her, and suddenly, all the tears flooded out. She was sobbing so violently that Ash was sure she'd pass out. He tried to calm her down, and it worked at a slow, maddening pace. Her face regained some of its normal color, the strained red fading away with the rivers of tears.

"Sssssh, Misty, she'll be alright. She's on her way to the hospital right now."

"I, I, I…it's…I'm so-, sorry, Ash," she managed to gasp over the period of thirty seconds. Ash was patient, though. "It's all, all my fault. I ca-can't believe I di-di-did this to her. I can't believe I-I did this to, to you." He looked shocked as her bright aqua eyes implored his. _To me?_ "I'm sorry I ig-ignored you, when Misa showed up. You do mean, s-s-so much to me, Ash. I jus-just missed her, t-too, and, and…" she broke down into sobs again. Ash searched for something soothing to say. Then he determined that later, he would search for Misty's mallet and knock himself upside the head for all the stupid comments that first came to mind.

"It's ok, Misty, I understand. I guess you heard about why I, um, clobbered Brock…" Her strangled gasp was enough for him. "I'm sorry I ever thought that about you. Or Misa. And I'm sorry I wasn't more, receptive toward her. I know you care about her very much, Mist." She looked up at him and managed a quivering smile.

"I do. But I care about you more, Ash." He leaned down and kissed away the rest of the tears from her cheeks. Her breathing slowed with the gentle caresses. He held her against his chest, his heart smoothing her down even more.

"Do you want to go see her now? We can just walk." She slowly nodded, but didn't let him get up. She touched his face, savoring every sensation that came through her fingertips. Then she reached up, kissing him full on the lips.

"Thank you, Ash," she whispered in his ear, throwing her arms around him. Ash returned the embrace, and they sat that way for a few minutes, lost in their own world, a pocket of comfort. Eventually, they made their way to the hospital, walking hand in hand down the street.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash paced in front of Misa's room, wary of how quiet things were. Misty had asked to talk to her alone, hoping to resolve things as soon as possible.

That was twenty minutes ago.

The girls had gone back to the gym long before Ash and Misty even found the room. Brock waited around simply because he had nothing better to do. Now, he tried to relieve the increasing pressure that was a worried Ash Ketchum in love. His attempt were in vain, of course.

"She could kill her, Brock! She would've smashed Misty's face in!" Brock sighed. _Back to this argument….for the fifth time!_

"Ash, they are best friends. What could happen?" Ash stopped pacing and stood in front of Brock as if he were the dumbest creature on the planet.

"She had four fractures in her hand, two in her wrist and enough cuts to turn her hand into meatloaf! Right next to Misty's head! I don't think that's your typical friendly handshake!" And, as with the last four times, Brock couldn't argue with it. With that, he decided not to waste his breath anymore, and proceeded to let Ash wear a ring in the hospital hall.

After another fifteen minutes, Misty emerged, unscathed. Ash was immediately by her side.

"What happened? She didn't try to hurt you, did she?" Misty laughed softly at Ash's concern, kissing him on the cheek.

"No, we pretty much…settled things. She's planning on going to school in Viridian, she'll probably leave when we do. We're going to keep in touch, just like we should've before. The rest are just…minor personal details." He could tell they weren't that minor from the fact her eyes started to water.

"Will you be ok, Mist?" She gave him a genuine smile, easing his fears.

"Yes, yes Ash, I'll be just fine. I'm with you now, I can make it."

"Are you two ready to go? I can drive us back. I think you both need a rest, and the doctor said she'd call us as soon as Misa's released." The two of them nodded as Ash put his arm around her shoulders. Tiredly, they walked out of the hospital.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A little less than a week later, our trio (and poor Pikachu, who was unfortunately left out of the rest of the fic) and Misa were ready to go there separate ways.

"Come on, you two, we're ready to go now!" Brock called from a block away, Pikachu waiting on his shoulder.

"We'll be there in a sec, Brock!" Ash called back. He looked down at Misty. "Do you want me to wait with them." She didn't turn her gaze away from Misa.

"Please, Ash? I'll only be a little while." Ash nodded and looked toward Misa.

"It…was nice meeting you, Misa," he said slowly. She smiled weakly at him and nodded.

"You too," she whispered. Ash accepted the dismissal and walked off, leaving them alone.

"Well," Misty started once she thought Ash was out of earshot. "I guess this is it for now."

"Yeah, for now."

There was an uncomfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional "Pika!" call.

"I'm sorry for causing so many problems, Mis." Misa shook her head quickly."It's not all your fault, Mist. It's as much mine as yours." The silence settled in once more. "I, I still love you, Misty," she whispered. Misty pulled her, surprised, into a hug.

"I love you too, Misa. You take care and keep in touch, ok?" Misa slowly returned the embrace, then just as slowly pulled away.

"I will. Goodbye."

"Bye, Mis. Till next time," she called as she walked toward the others. Misa watched her walk off. _I truly am alone now…_

Ash picked Misty up as soon as he could, spinning her around in his arms.

"I love you so much, Misty Kasumi Waterflower. With all my heart and all my soul." Misty was instantly dazed. _Another dream come true…what other surprises does he have up his sleeve?_

"Oh, Ash, I love you, too!" she cried, putting her death grip around his neck. He didn't mind one bit. Once she released him, she quickly crushed his mouth on hers, their tongues meeting in a passionate dance.

"Aw, guys, come on! Can't you wait until we get a hotel?" They pulled apart laughing, and walked on, chattering all the way. Every now and then, Misty and Ash would look deep into each others eyes, silently communicating the love they shared.

_It's between two hearts._

*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*

Well, that's all for now. Chapter 8 will be up sometime soon, depending on how much I can write at one time without bawling. So what'd ya think? Ending wasn't exactly what I expected, but I kinda got over-emotional as I was finishing it. Not quite thinking, just feeling, ya know? Like I said, Chapter 8, or the epilogue, basically, coming soon.


	8. Right Here Waiting

A/N: Well, here it goes

A/N: Well, here it goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Right Here Waiting", written and performed by Richard Marx.

**__**

It's Between Two Hearts

Epilogue

_Five years have passed since Misty and Misa's reunion. The last Misty heard, Misa was doing quite well at the University of Viridian City, and was ready to graduate that summer. The last Misa heard, Misty and Ash were celebrating Misty's 23rd birthday. _(A/N: I'm going to say her birthday is April 18.) _Misty's letter was sent March 25, from Pallet town where the group was starting another three week vacation spree._

Ash and Misty have been married for a little more than five months. Misty's birthday would mark their six-month anniversary. Ash was ready to make it wonderful for her, with the help of Brock's expert cooking experience and his mom's romantic music collection.

He and Brock are now bringing still more supplies home for the dinner, despite the fact it was still two weeks and a day away. "A seven course meal!" Ash demanded. Brock simply laughed and accepted the challenge.

They enter the house, notice Ash's mom is still gone on her National Homemakers of America convention in Saffron City, and take on the task of fitting all of the food into the freezer quietly.

And so, the story begins.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Boy, Misty'll just love it, Brock! I can't thank you enough!" Brock was still laughing. He couldn't believe Ash was getting into being such a charmer. "A hopeless romantic needs a romantic hope fulfiller!" he had said.

"Yes, Ash, you've said that ten times today, now hush up or she'll hear us! She's already been asking me questions about why there's so much food in the freezer, and if I try to tell her I have another banquet to cook for, she'll bonk me upside the head!"

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Ash instantly hushed. He pulled out a bottle of ketchup and shoved it in with the rest of the food. Pikachu gasped and leaped in, hugging it to his little yellow chest. If it hadn't been for Brock, he also would've been stored behind a full-sized capon.

"Ok, we have whipped cream for the dessert. Did you get enough stuffing? We did get plenty of ranch, right? She loves ranch. Will the chocolate still be good for dipping by then? We forgot the strawberries! Wait, they have to be fresh, so we can't get them yet. Ok, that's good. Did you get the right croutons? She likes those more than bacon bits, but they have to be the right size." He went on and on, putting things in the freezer blindly and leaving it up to Brock to sort things out before they were all buried. By the time the last bag was emptied (and properly stored), Pikachu had finished a third of his ketchup bottle. Ash was still finding things to run around the kitchen for, which Brock had to promptly replace. Finally, once Pikachu had his fill, he sighed and stood up. He knew the routine: Ash runs around like a Psyduck with a Shellder clamped on its tail, Brock picked up after him, he has his treat and then shuts his overloaded master down. The timing was the tricky part.

After a few missed shots, Pikachu managed to bolt Ash, who finally stood still for more than three seconds. Brock walked over to the table and patter Pikachu on the head.

"Good job, Pikachu. Just about two weeks left and we'll be done."

"Pika!" he replied excitedly. Brock chuckled as Ash struggled to stand again.

"Ouh, thanks little bud. Go a bit easier next time, will ya?" Pikachu pouted.

"Pika pi, kachu!"

"He's right, Ash. Any easier and it won't affect you. You're becoming shock proof!"

"Ha ha, aren't we funny today? Well, I'm gonna go check on Misty." The other two sighed. This was also part of the routine.

Ash made his way toward the living room and noticed the vid-phone wasn't in its usual place in the hall. _Misa must've called, _he thought. And as he expected, Misty was sitting on the couch, using the phone. What he didn't expect was her tear-stained face and Lily being on the screen.

"This is the sickest joke you've ever played, Lil!" He noticed Lily was crying, too.

"Like, I'm sorry little sister, but this isn't a joke. I could even have Violet call you from the hospital if you don't believe me." Misty dejectedly shook her head.

"No, I believe you. I just don't want to," she said in a strangled voice.

"I know, it caught us off guard, too. The hospital said they'd call once she came out of the coma, so we'll keep you updated and stuff, 'kay? You try and get some rest." Misty nodded and hung up the phone, disconnecting the video transmission. Ash sat down beside her, and she instantly buried her face into his shoulder. He let her cry for a while before asking what happened.

"Misa…Misa attempted suicide two days ago, on the first. I thought it was some disgusting April Fools' joke, but then Lily started crying and I knew she was serious. Her neighbor heard the gunshot and found her on the floor with the front door open. They didn't find a note or anything, but my sisters were the first number in her address book, so the Viridian police called them." She broke down and cried again. Ash simply held her, not knowing what to do. The brief time he had spent with Misa was _not_ pleasant, but he knew how much Misty had cared for her. They were practically sisters, if not a little closer. Now, her best friend had attempted suicide for no apparent reason.

"What could've pushed her to do this, Ash? I just don't understand why she'd, she'd….stoop to this!"

"I don't know, Mist. There's obviously something she was holding in. I'm sure we'll find out as soon as she wakes up." She looked up at him, those shiny aqua eyes pleading, begging for relief.

"Do you really think she'll come out of it?" she whispered, so quiet that Ash barely understood her. He simply nodded and hugged her to him again.

_I hope she does, Misty. For your sake, I hope to God she does._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_A week and a half later, things were, for the most part, back to normal. For the first few days after the news, Misty was quiet, subdued and tear-prone. But the boys were very sensitive around her, and she was quickly on the road to recovery. Ash's mom came home on the ninth, only to say she would be leaving again for an International Homemakers convention. Nothing had come in from the hospital, or from Misty's sisters. The wound was healing, but not forgotten…_

April 17, the day before Ash's big surprise.

Ash was in a panic.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Ash screamed, yet again. Brock rolled his eyes and turned away from his tenderloin marinade, seeing what was wrong this time. Pikachu, who was quickly running out of jolt-juice for the day, shocked his master to calm him down.

"Now what Ash?" Brock asked as patiently as possible.

"We're out of lemon pepper! The lobster won't be right without lemon pepper! I could've sworn I had a whole bottle left but I can't find it!" Brock sighed as Pikachu slapped his face in an extremely aggravated fashion.

"Ash, that would probably be because I'm using it for the marinade and the steaks. See?" he pointed back to the counter where he was working. "And besides, I can't even _prepare_ the lobster until tomorrow afternoon, so we could've gotten another bottle had we actually run out." Ash nodded, wiping away a tear. "Got it, Ash? Now CHILL OUT!!" Ash snapped to attention, starting up a fit of "Pika" laughter in the background. "Good! Now go and get some rest, soldier! Leave the rest up to Brock, insert dramatic pose the Iron Chef!" Both Ash and Pikachu fell over, then promptly ran from the assault of pots, pans and various other kitchenware.

Misty was out shopping. Her parents and Ash's mom had given her a total of two hundred dollars for her birthday, and Ash insisted she go out and pamper herself.

"You need it, after all. Just go out and buy whatever you feel like!" He was rather happy with his suggestion, since his reward was a shower of kisses and a promise to a backrub (followed by a wink) later.

So she had taken a taxi to the mall, and now figured she'd need an extra taxi to take all of her stuff back! She had at least two bags full of clothes. There was a small bag filled with some herbs and cooking materials that she knew Brock would die for. Another, smaller bag, held three of her favorite romance novels. "I don't know what you see in those!" Ash had commented indignantly, until she informed him that some of his favorite "ideas" were from those novels. There were even a few things for her sisters! There was another bag filled with lotions, make-up and various other pampering products, including some seductive scents for Ash. _We've been sleeping together for nearly a year and I still can't keep from blushing!_

She sighed dreamily as she awaited the taxi, which managed to come too soon for her. After being screamed at for a moment, she woke herself up and smashed all her packages into the cab.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash wandered around the kitchen, making finishing touches on the picnic lunch that he himself prepared.

"I bet Brock could've finished this in a tenth of the time," he mumbled sleepily. It was past midnight, but he wouldn't rest until he was sure everything was ready.

"Ash, honey, isn't it about time you came to bed?" He spun around quickly, adrenaline rushing at being discovered. Luckily, Misty was still rubbing her eyes and couldn't see behind him. He rushed the basket over to the refrigerator, making sure everything was stored and ready, then he made his way toward her. She jumped as he arrived in front of her once her vision cleared.

"I'm sorry, Mist, I was just working on a project. I'll go to bed now." She nodded, then cried in surprise as he lifted her up into his arms and carried her off to the bedroom. "But I couldn't sleep knowing I made you walk up all these terrible stairs!" She giggled and playfully hit him as he turned the corner into their room. Once he put her down, she stared up into his eyes with that same captivating glare she had used the year before.

"Well, now I have to put that extra energy to use," she said before pulling him down into her kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"'Can I take the blindfold off yet? Can I take it off yet?' I swear that's all you said the entire way up there!" Ash teased as they walked back toward his house, picnic basket emptied.

"Well since your navigating skills never exactly improved, I figured you might want to make sure you were going the right way!" They fought back and forth playfully, teasing and poking and prodding all the way home. Ash's hard work paid off, as Misty had completely fallen head over heels in love with his plan. The food came out perfect, the weather was just right, and the place where she fished him out of the river was the best location for all of it. Ash could only smile at how childish Misty was acting.

"I never knew you could be so innocent!" She swung her mallet at him, which, after years of practice, he dodged. They were like that the rest of the way, the happiest they'd been in a while.

They entered the house laughing, nearly tripping over on another onto the couch. Once Misty made herself comfortable, Ash settled himself gently on top of her.

"Ooooo, and just what do you think you're doing?" she purred as he buried his face in her neck.

"Why?" he said as he trailed his tongue up toward her ear. "Is this bothering you?" Her throaty giggle was all the reply he needed as he continued his teasing.

"Um….Misty?" Brock called from the hallway. Ash sighed at the ruined moment, and Misty just giggled as she wriggled her way out from under him.

"Coming, Brock! What is it?" Brock looked shocked.

"Uh….before you take the call, I just wanted to say happy birthday again," he mumbled as he walked out of the hall. Misty looked confused, but then picked up the phone. The doctor who had been taking care of Misa popped up on the screen, and she was instantly afraid.

"Misty? I'm sorry to tell you this, but…Misa passed away today, at 12:49 this morning. We did all we could," she didn't hear the rest, because she slammed the phone down and ran out the door.

Ash had heard the announcement, but he didn't try to stop Misty. He simply followed her, slowly, making sure she had the time she needed to be alone.

Misty had run back to the spot by the river. She hadn't completely intended to stop there, but she tripped, and didn't bother to get back up. The tears were flowing freely, the sobs wracking her poor little body. She simply laid there and cried.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you, Misa?" she called out to no one. "You were trying to get back at me, weren't you? Dammit, Misa why did you do this!? You were supposed to fight, you were supposed to fight back," she trailed as she gave in to the sobs once more. "I'm sorry, Mis. I'm sorry for whatever I did, just please, don't go!"

Ash slowly walked into the scene, leaning back on a nearby tree. A song came to mind, one that his mom taught him to sing every time he thought of his dad. Very softly, he started to sing it.

__

Oceans apart, day after day

And I slowly go insane

I hear your voice on the line

But it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to never

Then how can we say forever?

Where ever you go, Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted all the times

That I thought would last somehow

I hear the laughter, I taste the tears

But I can't get near you now

Oh can't you see it baby?

You've got me going crazy

Where ever you go, Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive this romance

But in the end, if I'm with you, I'll take the chance

Oh can't you see it baby?

You've got me going crazy

Where ever you go, Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

Waiting for you…

He finished the song, picking her up and cradling her to him as her sobs died down.

"Why, Ash? Why today?" He just continued rocking her back and forth, as gingerly as if she were an infant.

"I don't know, Misty. We'll find out some day, though. But you can't blame yourself, Mist. None of her choice was your fault. I'm sure she's watching over you right now, wishing you weren't so sad." She looked up at him again, breaking his heart.

"Do you really think so, Ash?"

"I do, Mist. I truly do." She smiled weakly, then rested her head against his chest. He got up and slowly started walking back home.

"You take a nice long nap when we get home. I've got one last birthday present for you. I hope it makes you feel a little bit better." She sighed pleasantly.

"Knowing I have you here for me will always make me feel better." He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, bringing a genuine smile to her face that warmed his heart back up.

Inside her heart, though, she still cried.

_I don't know why this happened, Mis, but I promise I'll make you proud of me…._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

__

In memory of

Samuel Alexander Marsden

1983 – April 18, 2001

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There ya go. Hope ya liked it. Please review.

__


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